


The Sun and the Moon

by orphan_account



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Badass Katara (Avatar), Badass Suki (Avatar), Minor Sokka/Suki, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar), Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Toph Being Awesome, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:40:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26542333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Willow wakes up in the Avatar world. Bending one element is difficult enough, but bending two makes you a target almost as popular as the avatar themself.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. Pai Sho and Possum Cats

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic! Hope you like it :)

My eyes flicker open. Light streams through my window and I groggily reach to the left for my phone. Wait. It's not there. Confused, I open my eyes properly and realise I'm not in my bedroom. Was I kidnapped or something? Joy. What a great start to the weekend.

I swing my legs over the edge of my bed, and decide take a proper look at the room. After all, I don't know how long I'm going to be stuck in here.

The walls, ceiling, and floor all seem to be metal. I stomp my foot and hear a distant clanging. Yep, definitely metal. There's a narrow bed, a small wooden chest, and a mirror. There's also a weird red and black banner hanging from one of the walls, but apart from that, the room seems pretty bare. It all looks kinda familar though. Maybe it's one of my crazy relatives' rooms. I wouldn't put it past them to abduct me.

I walk over to the mirror, and run my hands through my tangled mess of blonde hair. It could really do with a wash. I wonder if the person who kidnapped would let me have a shower. Probably not. You dont really meet any understanding kidnappers.

I still can't shake the feeling of familiarity. The insignia on the banners just looks.. so familar. Black on red.. it kinda reminds me of that show I used to watch when I was younger. What was it called? Avatar something. Yeah, thats the fire nation symbol.. i think. Maybe my kidnapper's does some cosplay shit or something. 

Just then, the door swings open to reveal a bearded man wearing a large smile, clutching a teapot and a pai sho board. ..Uncle Iroh? This has _got_ to be cosplay. 

'Hello there. My name's Iroh. Are you feeling okay?' Okay, this is creepy. He sounds exactly like Iroh - and looks exactly like him too. Maybe he's a deranged fan or something. I decide to play along.

'Uh.. yeah, thank you.' I blink nervously and hope he can't see me sweating.

'Would you like some jasmine tea?' Iro- no, not iroh, my kidnapper - asks me politely.

'Sure, that's very kind of you.' I smile a little, and fiddle with my fingers. I hope it's not poison.

He fiddles with the teapot and then frowns. 'It seems it's gone cold. Please, stand back.'

I frown myself. Huh? He can't seriously think he can firebend, can he? God, he really _must_ be deranged. I eye him pityingly. Suddenly, a jet of fire springs from his hands towards the teapot and I jump back in utter shock. No-one could fake that. He smiles at my surprise.

'I'm guessing you have not seen a firebender before? Do you come from the other nations?' I shake my head. He really must be Uncle Iroh. Somehow, I got into the avatar world. Then I remember the question, and shake off my shock.

'Kind of. Where I come from, you don't really see _any_ types of bending. No-one shows any anyway.' Not too far from the truth.

Iroh looks sad, then inquistive. 'Are you a bender yourself?'

I pause. Am I a bender? I don't actually know. God, it'd be so cool if i was a waterbender. I could kick Pakku's ass. I smile inwardly at the thought.

'I.. I actually don't know.'

He looks sympathetic. 'Don't worry. If you do, your bending should reveal itself soon enough. I can help you!'

'Am I.. am I a prisoner?' I ask tentatively. I know Iroh would never want to imprison me, but season one Zuko almost certainly would.

'Agni no! I just saw you on top of an iceberg while passing by. You had hypothermia, and were unconcious. It took my nephew some convincing that you were not an accomplice of the avatar. Between you and me, he's becoming a little obsessed.' Iroh whispers secretively.

I grin. Yep, that's season one Zuko, alright. ..but season one Zuko would also keep me on the ship for information. 'So.. I'm free to leave?'

Iroh nods. Phew. 'Yes, you may leave at anytime. Unless.. you would like to stay with us? We could always use a helping hand in finding the avatar, and the presence of another teenager might help my nephew to calm down. You could train with him, if you turn out to be a bender!' He beams.

I hesitate. Possibly, just maybe, I could be a good influence on Zuko. But I also really want to meet the gaang, and beat the shit out of Pakku. It's a difficult decision. 'Could I stay for a few weeks? Just until I fully recover?'

Iroh beams even wider. 'Of course! What's your name?'

'Oh, I'm.. Willow.'

'Welcome to the crew, Willow. Now, would you like a game of Pai Sho?'

...

'Willow, meet my nephew, Prince Zuko. Zuko, meet Willow. I am sure you two are going to be very good friends!' Iroh beams. 

Zuko scowls, and reluctantly holds out his hand for me to shake. I do, smiling. God, his ponytail's ugly. I can't wait for season two and three. 

'So,' I say, smiling at Zuko, 'what do you do around here for fun?'

'Nothing.' Zuko scowls, turning away. Jeez. He's even grumpier than I remember. I decide, out of the goodness of my own heart, to help him stop being such an asshole.

'C'mon, there's gotta be something.'

Zuko rolls his eyes. 'I train, I clean, I study scrolls, I work to get my honour back. What else is there to do in life?'

'That's not fun. That's work. I know, we can get a pet for the ship! They're great for cuddles!'

Zuko's scowl lifts a little. 'What sort of pet?'

I think. What was Zuko's favourite animal again? Oh yeah. 'Well, I really love turtleducks. I used to feed them at the park when I was really small. Maybe we could get one of those?'

He scoffs, but smiles a little. 'Fool. Turtleducks don't live on ships.'

Oh yeah. That's a bit of a hole in my plan, but I keep going. 'What about a possum cat? They're soft and fluffy, and they can live on ships.'

Zuko sighs. 'I suppose we can indulge your fancies. Fine. One possum cat. But it's your responsibility.' He turns away, but can't hide his smile at the thought of a furry friend. I grin. My plan to make Zuko nice is already working.

Iroh beams, delighted at the thought of having a possum cat and a happy Zuko. 'You know, Willow, I think you being around is already having a good influence on my nephew.' Great deduction, Iroh. Not like that's the whole reason I stayed.

I simply smile at him. 

'Would you like to begin your testing now?' He asks, obviously excited. I think about it. I need to be able to fight if i have to betray Zuko at some point. Plus, bending sounds fun as hell. I nod.

...

'Okay, this test is pretty simple. Focus on this pebble.' Iroh holds up a small rock, about the size of a malteser. The possum cat, which I've named Smokey (Zuko was secretly quite pleased), miaows loudly from the corner. 

Keep your stance wide. Be unmoveable, like the earth itself. Earth is a stubborn element, so you must be too.' 

Inwardly, I'm laughing. I've heard all this before on the show, both from Iroh and Toph. Of course, Iroh doesn't know that, so I humour him, nodding my head attentively from time to time.

'Now, when I flick this at you, try not to flinch. Just stop the rock, and bring it back towards me.' 

He smiles. 'Ready?' I nod.

'Okay, 3, 2, 1.' He flicks the rock at me and it hits me on the nose. I wince, and rub it. Smokey leaps onto my lap and purrs. He licks my nose. I give him a stroke.

Iroh sighs, but looks up and smiles at the small creature. 'Okay, so you're probably not an earthbender. That's okay. We've still got three elements to go.'

..

'This one is a little harder. Focus on the candle. Feel the flame follow your breath. Fire comes from the breath. Always remember that. Once you think you have control of the flame, extinguish it.'

I nod and focus on the flame. Up and down. Inhale and exhale. Bigger and smaller. Inhale and.. snuff. The flame goes out. That felt.. weird. I wonder if I could've done that back home. Probably not. I tried often enough. But anyway. I'm a firebender. This is _cool._ Although to be honest, I'm a little sad I'm not a waterbender.

Iroh claps his hands in ecstacy. 'You're a firebender! Congratulations!'

His beam suddenly dampens. 'Willow, how old are you?'

I frown. 'Uh.. almost 15. Why?'

Iroh sighs in relief. 'Phew. I thought you might have to join the war. Obviously I would not turn you in, but if Commander Zhao spotted you..' He doesn't say anymore. I gulp. Its lucky the war will over over before I turn 16.

'So.' Iroh grins. 'Are you ready to begin your training with my nephew?


	2. Flames of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow does something with her flames only one other bender has ever done. It doesn't go down well with Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter :)

  
'Nephew! Guess what?' Iroh bursts into Zuko's chambers, where Zuko's hunched up over some firebending scrolls and a map. I watch silently from outside.

Zuko looks up eagerly, spilling the scrolls over his floor. 'Did you find a trail on the Avatar?' I feel pretty bad for him. Poor kid only wants his dad to love him. Right now, I really want to punch Ozai in the face.

Iroh chuckles. 'No, my nephew.' Zuko's face contorts into a dark scowl. He turns away and begins picking up his scrolls.

'But. You know Willow?' Yep, thats me! The girl who somehow went into the Avatar world and became a firebender.

Zuko doesn't look up. 'That little kid who's tagging along with us for a while? Yeah.' For your information, Mr Prince Zuko, I am not little. I'm taller than you. So watch your mouth.

'Well..' Iroh beams. 'She's a firebender!'

Zuko turns towards Iroh, and actually smiles a little. 'That's great. It'll be nice to have a sparring partner who isn't my uncle.' Wow, that's the closest thing to a joke I've heard Zuko say. Even if it _was_ a bit rude.

Iroh chuckles. 'Yes, it will. My old bones find it difficult to keep up now. And, when she's not training with you, she can play Pai Sho with me!'

Oh god no. When I first watched the show, I thought Zuko was rude for not wanting to play Pai Sho. But it's the most boring game in the world. You sometimes have to wait for hours for the other player to make their move. The only use it might hold for me is letting Iroh know that I know about the White Lotus.

Zuko rolls his eyes. 'At least I won't have to play it as much anymore.' 

..

'Fire comes from the breath. So inhale, exhale, feel the fire inside of you and channel it through your hands,' Zuko brings his hands up, down, and forward in a sweeping motion and orangey red flames jump from his fingertips. 'Like this. Now, you try.' 

I gape at him in shock. 'Zuko, I've only just learned that I can bend. And you want me to do that? That's so advanced!'

Zuko blushes and smiles slightly. For a moment he reminds me of season 3 zuko: an awkward turtleduck who blushes at any slight hint of a compliment. Then his face switches back into the trademark scowl. 'Yeah. It's not actually that hard. You just sort of flow into it. So try.'

I shug, and switch my focus to my breathing. Inhale, exhale. In, out. I copy Zuko's movements, bringing my hands up, down, and forward. A few sparks fly from my fingers, and die away almost instantaniously. Zuko looks distinctly unimpressed.

'No, you fool. Don't try to copy me. Your bending is yours, not mine. Go again, and get it right this time.' What an asshole. Although its not terrible advice. I think Iroh said something once about bending being a reflection of yourself, so I try to think about that. Make my flames like myself.

I feel fire roaring in my belly. I inhale and exhale, and swing my arms forward. Flame rushes through my veins and springs from my hands. I smile and turn towards Iroh and Zuko. They're both gaping at me, Iroh in awe, and Zuko in.. anger. What did I do?

Zuko's mouth sets in a hard line, and he strides back to his room, slamming the door. Damn. Very dramatic. I turn to Iroh.

'What'd I do?'

Iroh blinks. 'You.. you made gold fire. No-one's ever done that before.'

My eyes widen. In the excitement of the moment, I didn't even notice my flames weren't the normal red. 'Wait, really?'

He nods. 'The only person who made fire of a different colour before is.. Azula.' Azula. Fuck. I should've known. Okay, Iroh doesn't know that I know what I know about Azula. Play it dumb.

'Who's Azula?' I ask.

'She is Prince Zuko's sister. She's always been a bit.. I don't know if this is the right word, but cruel.' Yeah she has. Here's another one: deranged.

'Oh.' Is all I say.

'You must have reminded him of her.' I flinch. Shit. That's not good.

'Should I go and talk to him?' Probably not, but I might as well ask.

Iroh shakes his head. 'No. He will likely lash out and say some things he does not mean.'

'What should I do then?' I twiddle my thumbs.

'You can help me make dinner. I think after today, my nephew deserves his favourite dish.'

'Great! I love spicy pork noodles!' Iroh is looking at me strangely. Fuck. I'm not meant to know that. I attempt to salvage the situation. 'Uh.. can we make those as well?'

Iroh still looks suspicious, but lets it go. 'Well, spicy pork _is_ Zuko's favourite, so we will not have to. Let's go.'

...

I'm standing outside Zuko's door with a tray loaded with spicy pork noodles and fire flakes. Iroh decided he'd probably calmed down enough to see me. I knock on the door.

'Come in.' A closed off voice sounds from inside. I wince. Hopefully he'll be okay.

I walk in, balancing the tray precariously on my arm. 'Hey. Uh.. I brought you supper. Your favourite.'

He glances at it. 'How did you know this was my favourite?'

'Oh, uh, your uncle told me.' I smile nervously.

He tenses, then raises his eyebrows and sneers. 'Oh yeah? Really? Have you been having lovely little chats with him about what a shitty person I am over cups of tea and games of Pai Sho? Lovely and cosy?' I guess he hadn't calmed down after all.

'Zuko, I-'

'Course you have. You have to be better than me at everything. Better at bending, better at Pai Sho, better at everything!' His eyes are narrowed in hatred, but I don't think he's really talking to me. More to Azula.

'Please-' I begin.

'No. We took you off that iceberg, and we can shove you right back. You'd be fine though. You could do something with your perfect golden fire. I bet it could do anything you wanted. So why don't you? Piss off. Get off my ship. Leave.'

I sigh. I kind of expected this to happen at some point, but I didn't think it would hurt this much.

'Fine. But just let me say one thing first.' I cross my arms. Zuko nods. 'I never tried to steal anything from you, least of all your uncle. All I did was try to make your life better. He blinks. 'Goodbye, Zuko. Look after Smokey for me.'

I leave the room in silence, shutting the door behind me. Iroh, who obviously heard it all, wordlessly pulls me into a hug. I hug him back awkwardly, then go to my room to get my things. 

'Willow.' He says.

I turn to face him, clutching my few belongings. 'Yeah?'

'What will you do? Where will you go?' His voice, despite efforts to stay level, shakes.

I don't actually know. 'Uhh.. maybe Ba Sing Se?'

Regaining his composure, he speaks. 'That sounds like a good plan.' His eyes swell with tears. I smile sadly at him, and make to leave the ship.

Once I have got off the ship, onto the ice of the South Pole, I see Zuko staring. I wave once, and turn away. Now, to find the Gaang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gold flames! I'm going to expand on that later, as it will become significant, but for now, all Willow sees it as is a trait she and Azula shares. This is what Zuko sees too. Iroh is the only one who has even a glimpse into how important it could be.
> 
> Anyway, yeah! I really hope you liked this chapter. It didn't flow very well, but some stuff I put in is important for later on.
> 
> Sidenote: I seriously considered Willow taking the possum cat with her, but I felt like Zuko deserved something nice at least.


	3. The little village place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willow finds the village and meets Sokka and Katara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter!

* * *

  
I've found the little village place. Sokka's just built his watchtower. I snicker. He's got no idea what's coming for him (and his watchtower, for that matter). Actually, it's probably a good time to meet them.

When Katara and Sokka next go on a fishing trip, I decide that it's now or never. I jump in front of their path and pretend as if they've knocked me over.

'Oh spirits! Sokka! You've killed her!' Katara exclaims loudly.

'Hey, don't look at me! It was your fault as well!' Sokka pouts. Inwardly, I roll my eyes. Those two bicker so much.

I pull myself to my feet. 

'Are you okay?' Katara asks worriedly.

I smile. 'Yeah, I think so. What's your name?' I already know it, but it'd be a bit sus not to ask.

Before Katara can say anything, Sokka claps a hand over her mouth, causing her to protest loudly.

'Don't say anything! She could be a fire nation spy!' Sokka declares, glaring at me. I roll my eyes. Katata slaps his hand off and gives him a death stare.

'Don't be so stupid, Sokka! Even if she was a spy, what's she gonna do with our names?'

'What's she gonna do with our names? Katara, you're literally the last waterbender of the South Pole! I'm pretty sure the Fire Nation would want to know your name!' Sokka folds his arms across his chest. I snicker, and wait for what he said to sink in. '..oh.'

'Relax, ponytail. I'm not a spy.' I say. 

Katara gives Sokka a pointed glare. 'See.' She turns to me and smiles. 'I'm Katara, as my idiot brother Sokka pointed out. What's your name?'

'I'm Willow.' We shake hands. Sokka jabs me in the head with the blunt end of his spear. 'Hey!' I protest. Katara smacks it out of his hands, and turns to me.

'Do you want to come with us on our fishing trip? We could use an extra pair of hands.' Katara offers. 

I beam and nod. 'Sure!'

Sokka groans. 'Ugh. Shouldn't you both stay back and do some sewing or something?' God, I hate season one sokka. I always wanted to get the chance to slap some sense into him, and now look! No way I'm gonna miss this opportunity. I lean over and slap him across the face. Katara and me smirk. 

'Don't be so fucking rude!' Sokka blinks at the use of language, but decides not to challenge me on it.

We all squish onto the little boat, Sokka still complaining under his breath how it'd be much better if just he went. Katara bites her lip to stop herself yelling at Sokka.

I think its a good idea to get a conversation going. 'So, what do you two normally do around here?'

Sokka looks proud. 'I go hunting and fishing, and the other day, I made a watchtower!' I smirk. He doesn't know what's coming.

I decide to play on his sexist side. 'Really? I saw that when I set up camp last night, but I thought only girls did that stuff. I thought Katara made it, she seems stronger anyway.'

Sokka gapes and stutters. 'I- you- what? Katara couldn't even make an snowball with her magic water! There's no way she could make a watchtower like I did!' _Wait for Season 3._

Katara scowls. 'First off, it's not magic water, it's _waterbending_. Secondly, let's put that to the test.' She bends some snow from the side of the river into a compressed snowball and throws it right at Sokka.

'Hey!' Sokka protests, wiping snow off his face.

'Hey, I didn't know you were a waterbender. Are you one as well, Sokka?' Obviously I know who has bending and who doesn't, but they don't know that.

Sokka hangs his head in shame. '..no.'

Katara laughs. 'Yeah, I'm the only one in the whole of the South Pole.' Her face turns solemn as she clutches her necklace. Oops. I didn't mean to bring on a Katara-necklace moment.

I try to diffuse the situation a little. 'Oh. I'm sorry. Still, at least you'll always win water fights!'

The siblings look confused. '..water fights?'

I bury my head in my hands. 'Yes, water fights. You throw water at each other to cool down, or like I do, to annoy siblings. It's fun.'

Sokka looks incredulous. 'Willow, it's the South Pole. The only place it gets hot enough to do that is the..' He pauses and looks up at me both triumphantly and fearfully. '..Fire Nation!' Fuck. Didn't see that one coming. I decide to play it dumb.

'Huh?' I say, wrinkling my forehead.

'You're Fire Nation!' Sokka declares, pointing a finger at me.

'Uh.. no I'm not.' I cross my arms, and thank the stars my eyes are not brown. Or golden. Or anything that implies Fire Nation. 'Eyes?' I point to them and continue. I'm not really from anywhere. I just.. wander.' I finish lamely. Sokka stares at thrm, and then sits back, defeated.

'Oh. Sorry. But that still doesn't explain water fights!' 

'Sokka, how many times has Katara used her waterbending against you to annoy you, or for fun?' I ask, grinning.

'Lots.' Katara smirks, and turns to me. 'You're right. It is a lot of fun. So, are you a bender yourself?'

'I'm not sure. I woke up on this ship, where this nice guy did some tests with me, but all we worked out is that I'm not an earthbender. Then his nephew, who was always a bit upset, kicked me off the ship.' I don't think its a good idea to tell them I'm a firebender. Especially not one who can bend golden flames. And I might as well get them aquainted to less violent ideas of Iroh and Zuko.

Katara nods and smiles. 'I can help you work out if you're a waterbender, if you like.'

I smile. 'Sure. Thanks, Katara.' I'm not a waterbender, I'm a firebender, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to hide that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Willow takes no shit from Sokka.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed :)


	4. The giant furry monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka being an asshole to everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a new chapter!

'Watch and learn, Katara and Willow. This is how you catch a fish.' Sokka declares smugly. Huh. So today we find Aang.

Katara stares into the water gloomily before her eyes light up. Tentatively, she waterbends a bubble of glowing water up above our heads, inside which is a wriggling fish. 'Sokka! Look!'

Sokka waves a hand in dismissal. 'Not now, Katara. Willow, tell her to be quiet, would you?' Tell her yourself, dude.

Katara rolls her eyes. 'But Sokka, I caught one!'

Sokka jabs his spear upwards, and accidentally pops Katara's water bubble. It drenches him in icy water. I'm still dry though (karma).

'Ugh! How come every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?' Sokka grunts, squeezing the water out of the folds of his coat.

Katara inhales deeply. 'It's not magic water, its waterbending.'

'Yeah, yeah, I know - an ancient art, unique to our culture, blah blah blah. I'm just saying, if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself.' Sokka complains loudly.

'Ugh. You are such- ugh!' Katara declares, crossing her arms. Before Sokka can reply, we hit an iceberg and it sets us offcourse, racing down the river.

'Left! Left! Go left, you idiot!' I scream. I know we get out of this alive, but its still pretty fucking scary. 

'I'm trying!' Sokka shouts back, desperately paddling with the oars. Katara is trying to waterbend us to the left (huh, that's a bit different to what I remember.)

The boat tips up onto an iceberg. I almost fall off, but grab onto Katara's hand at the last minute. Sokka is glaring at us both.

'Well done, Katara!' Sarcasm. Hooray.

'Oh so this is my fault now?' Katara puts her hands on her hips and glares at Sokka.

He shrugs. 'I'm just saying. If I had magic water powers, I would have waterbended us out of it. Leave it to a girl to screw things up.' Can I just say: season one Sokka is one of the most punchable people to ever exist. I'm about to lay off on him, but Katara does it for me.

'That's it! You are the most sexist, immature, nutbrained person I've ever met! I'm- I'm embarrassed to be related to you!' She stomps her foot and gets up in Sokka's face. The wall of ice behind us begins to crack.

Sokka's eyes go wide. 'Katara..'

She continues, ignoring him. 'Ever since Mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp!'

Katara looks disgusted. 'I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you: not pleasant!' The ice cracks more as she waves her hands up and down in fury.

Sokka looks terrified. 'Katara, settle down!'

'No! That's it, I'm done helping you! From now on, you're on your own!' Katara brings her hands down in fury for the final time as the iceberg splits in two. Sokka's eyes are wide with terror.

'Katara!' 

She turns around and gasps. The ice falls down on either side of us, missing me by a centimetre.

Sokka claps his hands sarcastically. 'Okay, you've gone from weird to freakish, Katara.'

Her eyes go wide. 'You mean I did that?'

'Yup. Congratulations.' He rolls his eyes and I'm filled with the urge to punch him. Instead, I turn to Katara.

'If I'm a waterbender, can you teach me how to do that?' I ask, grinning.

...

The iceberg containing Appa and Aang is popping up from the water. A beam of golden light shines up into the sky. There's Katara, running towards it on mini blocks of ice and Sokka, following her. I trail after them.

'Uh guys? It looks like there's someone in there.' Just then, Aang's arrows glow. 'And they're alive!'

Katara turns to Sokka. 'We have to get them out of there!' He nods, and begins to hack away at the ice. I suggest that Katara could melt it with her waterbending, but she says she doesn't know how to do that yet. Huh.

The ice breaks open. Aang is in the Avatar State, swaying side to side. Sokka poises his spear, ready to attack. Suddenly, his arrows stop glowing, and he collapses into Katara's arms. Sokka pokes him in the head with the blunt end of the spear and I glare at him. He stops.

Aang's eyes slowly open, focusing on Katara. I guess this is the beginning of Kataang. 

'I.. need to ask you something.' Aang says weakly.

'What is it?' Katara asks, eyes wide.

'Please.. come closer.' She does.

'Will you go penguin sledding with me?' Aang beams, energetic and happy as ever.

'Uhh.. sure?' She looks so confused. I stifle a laugh.

'Great!' Aang airbends himself up and then face palms. 'Hold on a second, I forgot Appa!' He runs up the iceberg. I follow him, Katara and Sokka close behind.

'Appa! Wake up buddy!' He prises Appa's eyes open. Sokka and Katara watch on in horror while I just smile. Appa gives him a big lick while he laughs delightedly. 'You're okay!'

Sokka points at Appa, mouth agape. 'What.. is that?'

Aang smiles. 'This is Appa, my flying bison!' 

Sokka scoffs, disbelieving. 'Right. And this is Katara, my flying sister.'

'Nice to meet you, Katara! So, what're you all called?'

Sokka butts in. 'Don't tell him! He could be a Fire Nation spy!' I roll my eyes. 

'You think everyone's a spy.' I point out. He pouts, and folds his arms.

Katara laughs, and extends a hand. 'The paranoid one is my brother Sokka. And this is our friend Willow.' I wave.

'Nice to meet you guys. I'm- a- a- achooo!' Aang sneezes and flies up into the air, before falling gracefully back down. Sokka and Katara gape. 'I'm Aang!'

'You just sneezed and flew 10 feet into the air!' Sokka declares. No shit Sherlock.

'Really?' Aang asks. 'It felt higher than that.' I grin. Aang's so sweet.

'You're an airbender!' Katara realises, mouth agape. Great deductions, Katara. You could work at Scotland's Yard.

'Yep.' Aang rubs his nose. 'Just got my tattoos.'

'Let's go back to the village.' I suggest to the gaping siblings. We need to be ready for when Zuko arrives.

'How? If you hadn't noticed, we're stuck on an iceberg.' Katara points out, managing to draw her eyes away from the sight of the last airbender. Oh yeah. I guess this is where Appa comes in.

'Hey, if you guys are stuck, me and Appa can give you a ride!' Aang offers.

Katara nods but Sokka shakes his head dramatically. 'Uh, no. No way am I getting on the giant furry monster.' That giant furry monster saves your life more times than I can count. I wouldn't be rude to him. Appa roars.

'Are you hoping another giant furry monster is going to come and pick you up, or do you just want to die of cold?' Katara teased from the saddle. 'C'mon, get on.'

Sokka grudgingly climbs up Appa. I jump on as well.

'Appa, yip yip!' Aang gently pulls at the reigns as Appa rears dramatically and.. flops into the river.

Sokka picks at his fingernails. 'Wow. This is truly amazing.' He says deadpan. I smack his arm.

'Shut up, Sokka. Appa's probably just a bit tired and cold.'

Aang looks towards me, nodding in approval and smiling. 'Exactly. We must have been in there for a couple days, and ice is pretty cold. He'll fly. You'll see.' 

Katara is stretched out on the saddle, staring up at the sky. Aang smiles at her. God, can he be anymore obvious? I never understood how Katara was so oblivious to his massive crush. She looks up towards him.

'Why are you smiling at me like that?' She scrunches up her forehead in curiosity. 

'Oh.. I was smiling?' Aang asks. I face palm, and Sokka makes a gagging noise.

Katara chuckles lightly.

'So, Aang. I've never seen one before. An airbender, that is. No-one has in 100 years, actually.'

He frowns a little.

'Huh. Maybe they just like being inside the air temples at the moment. Anyway, I'm here! You can ask me whatever you like!' He boasts, puffing out his chest proudly. I have to work hard not to laugh at the sight.

'Okay! So, being an airbender, you wouldn't happen to know the Avatar would you?' Katara asks excitedly. Aang blanches.

'Uh- no. Nope, no. I- uh- I knew people who knew him though!' I almost face palm. Why is he such a bad liar? I make a mental note to teach him how to fib.

Katara nods her head, disappointed but understanding. 'Okay, just thought I'd ask.' She turns away. 

I look to Sokka, who's sharpening his boomerang, facing away from Aang. Grinning, I prod him, and delight in the look of shock on his face as he tumbles into the water. Katara teases him about it all the way back to the village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aang is out of the iceberg! I'm super excited to write his character and the way Willow interacts with him. willow is from our world, so she might say or do things that confuse Aang and the rest of the characters.

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted Zuko to have a soft spot for animals, because even in Season One, he had moments when he wasn't being a complete jerk. My headcannon is that all animals love Zuko.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! :)


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